What Is A Divorce Legal Document Assistant | California Divorce

Posted by Tim Blankenship on

Hi! My name is Tim Blankenship, owner of SCV Legal Doc Assist. I’m a legal document assistant licensed and bonded through the County of Los Angeles to provide direct to consumer self-help legal services.

We’ve decided that we would specialize in only one field of law and that’s divorce. Divorce process is all we do; in fact, that’s where our experience comes from.

We have years of experience having worked in the family law courtrooms, in the self-help centers, and local area family law firms. We have the experience it takes to get you from start to finish in the divorce process and we could help you with all the divorce paperwork and help you procedurally in instructing you on how the courts operate.

What that means is, because we are not attorneys, we do not represent either side. Our sole function here is to help both parties prepare their divorce paperwork properly so it could be filed with the court and not get rejected. So when you call us, we can work with both you and your spouse to prepare your paperwork.

Now, we prepare paperwork exactly how a law firm would prepare your divorce paperwork—what that means is, when you’re working with us, we will parallel the process that a law firm would but for a fraction of the cost.

The benefit in doing this is that, if for whatever reason your case requires an attorney to assist you, you will not have to start over on the process. There are shortcuts to this and we do not take those shortcuts. So when you use our services, if for whatever reason you need to seek legal advice or use an attorney for representation at any point during the time we are helping you, you can take your paperwork and make them pick up exactly where we left off.

If you like more information about our services, please give us a call at 661-281-0266.

006 DMR | Now Offering Online California Divorce Solution

Posted by Tim Blankenship on

006 DMR | Now Offering Online California Divorce Solution

In Episode 6 of Divorce Master Radio, we discuss our offering of an online divorce product that will allow folks to file their divorce completely online using software that uses automated document assembly.

The way the software works is that it allows you to answer a series of online questions that will automatically populate the divorce documents so you don’t have to figure out what goes where.

The only thing you will have to do once the divorce forms are completed is to follow the procedure to properly file and serve all the documents.

Here is how we are different that other providers of online divorce services.

First of all, we are a full service divorce document preparation service in California.  We are offering our online process in addition to our full service process, because some people see more value in an online product.

Even if you decide to use our online divorce product instead of our full service divorce, you still get all the assistance you would normally get.

For instance, with other online divorce services, there is nobody reviewing your documents and nobody looking to see if you do things correctly.  They can’t.  They are huge corporations.

With us, you get total support and review of all your documents.  You also get a secure client portal to ask questions along the way.

In addition, we guarantee our service!  If you later decide that you no longer want to use the online service, we can upgrade you to our full service and give you full credit for what you paid for the online service.

This is a great value to folks going through divorce in California and we are exited to offer this product.

 

Press Play Below To Listen To This Podcast Or Click Here Subscribe To This Channel On iTunes

 

California Divorce Forms You Will Need To Complete Your Judgment For Divorce

Posted by Tim Blankenship on

If you have been reading blogs in the past, you know that we are always giving out tons of free advice.  Today, we are providing all the divorce forms you will need to complete your California divorce Judgment.

[leadplayer_vid id=”52A78336BD842″]

Do you want to know what is sad?  This huge stack of forms was given to a client of ours when they went down to court.  They were amazed that the forms had absolutely no instructions.  There is no form that says how to fill out any of the divorce papers.

All they received (which is what you see below) was the blank forms.

Good luck with that?

It is pretty scary to think that the divorce judgment is the most difficult part of the divorce paperwork to fill out.  We uploaded all the forms to slideshare and realized that is was more than 40 pages that you will have to complete if you are planning on doing your own divorce.

And this is just the final judgment forms for your divorce.  This does not count all the forms you had to fill out, serve and file with the court up to this point.

Here is the slideshare if you plan on attempting this on your own.

We have to admit, however, that the likelihood of you actually completing your own divorce is not very high.  We are just being honest with you.

We have people call our office everyday who have attempted and got stuck along the way and really messed up their divorce papers.  In most cases, we have to totally start over with filing an amended petition.

But we do know that there are people out there that are going to try it on their own. Perhaps they have more time than money and don’t mind spending countless hours trying to figure everything out and are not in a hurry to complete their California divorce.

Van Nuys Divorce Self Help Center

Posted by Tim Blankenship on

If you are going through a divorce in California and thinking about using the Van Nuys Divorce Self Help Center, I want to give you some tips, tricks, things to watch out for and alternatives to using the Van Nuys Divorce Self Help Center.

Let me first start by saying that if you have no money, are unemployed and have all the time in the world to wait in line, day after day, at the Van Nuys Divorce Self Help Center, then it can be a great  resource for you.

However, if you are a busy professional, don’t have time to spend several days (all day) waiting in line to get some help with your divorce, then the VanNuys Divorce Self Help Center is not for you and you will want to use a service like mine.

Watch this quick video where I explain in detail some of the advantages and disadvantages of using the Van Nuys Divorce Self Help Center.

[leadplayer_vid id=”52A75DB0C7A68″]

So as you can see, if you watched the video, the Van Nuys Divorce Self Help Center is great for people who cannot afford to hire a professional service to help them with their divorce.  The Van Nuys Divorce Self Help Center is also great for those who have the time to sit for hours on end waiting to get help with their divorce.

If you are a busy professional, or otherwise just don’t have the time to wait for assistance and would like someone to complete your divorce for you, go down to court for you and fill out all your forms, you are going to want to give us a call.

Here is how I tell people if they should use our service or not.

If you have more time than money, go to the Van Nuys Divorce Self Help Center.  If you don’t have the time and are both of you are working, you have to see what your actually losing in pay, leaving work to go down to the Van Nuys divorce self help center.

When you use our divorce service, you will save time and money.

Yes, we will also save you money because we are able to not only get you through the divorce process with one filing fee (not two) but because you are free to go on about your life without it being interrupted by you trying to file your own divorce.

Give us a call, we would love to help you out.

Income Withholding For Support Form FL-195 | How To File & Serve

Posted by Tim Blankenship on

The Income Withholding For Support form FL-195 just might be one of the most confusing forms to fill out while going through your California divorce.

We will get into how to fill it out, but first lets talk about what it does and why you might want to do it.

Also, we have a slideshare below where you can view a template of the Income Withholding For Support Form FL-195.

[leadplayer_vid id=”52A63B51A4FA9″]

Okay, the Income Withholding For Support Form FL-195 is a form you will fill out if there is an order for spousal support or child support and you want to have that support deducted directly from your spouses employer.  It is not mandatory that you do this, meaning your spouse can simply write you a check every month.

But if you feel there might be a problem collecting support from your spouse each month, you may want to fill out this form.  Just keep in mind that there is a specific way these needs to be done.

Here are the steps:

  1. Fill out the form (see template below)
  2. File with court and wait for judge to sign (so it becomes an official order)
  3. Serve on your spouses employer (by certified mail to ensure delivery)

The Income withholding for support form FL-195 can be used when you are submitting your final divorce papers (judgment) or anytime after.  You can also use this form if you recently had a hearing in court and there was an order for support or modification for support.

Also, if you will use this form if you need to modify or terminate spousal support or child support.  We will cover this topic in a future article.

We are a full service divorce company that can help your with your divorce anywhere in California.  Please make sure to give us a call if you need assistance with your California divorce.

 

California Divorce Service Now On iTunes | Divorce Master Radio

Posted by Tim Blankenship on

We are excited to announce that our California Divorce Legal Document Preparation service now has a podcast which can be listened to on iTunes.  Make sure to check out our iTunes podcast called Divorce Master Radio.  Use the link and check it out.

We are the first LDA (Legal Document Assistant ) firm to have a podcast on iTunes and is just one more way to get out information about divorce in California.

Having an iTunes show made sense since we are advocates of getting information out to our clients (or future clients) who may need our service.  our iTunes podcast is now in addition to our blog, videos and social media accounts that we have had for some time now.

As an avid listener to podcasts, one thing I have learned is that I really connect with the person speaking on the microphone and can get some really in depth information and better understanding of what I am listening to.

I am hoping that the same happens for the listeners our show.  We are going to have some solo episodes about California divorce as well line up interviews with folks that would add value to our show.

Podcasts in general have started to become more popular now that so many people have smart phones and can listen virtually everywhere they go.  I know that I listen to podcasts at least  twice per day when I walk my dogs.  I also listen to podcasts while driving (not much of music guy).

In any case, I hope you enjoy the California divorce podcast officially known as “Divorce Master Radio”

I have embeded our most recent episode below.

By Tim Blankenship

 

How To Sell Your Santa Clarita Home During Divorce | Interview With Tim Blankenship and Robert Mickalson

Posted by Tim Blankenship on

When you are going through divorce and you own a home in Santa Clarita, you are going to have to deal with the property one way or another.  Be that to sell, refinance or buy the other party out.

Tim Blankenship (that’s me) with Divorce661.com and Robert Mickalson, a local Santa Clarita Realtor, (www.askrobertscv.com) got together and spoke about several issues you may face when going through divorce in Santa Clarita, or anywhere for that matter, and some solutions to make the home selling process easier.

Here are some of the topics we discussed.  Make sure to watch the interview below.

  • What to do when the parties cannot agree on a real estate agent
  • How can the parties be updated on the sale of their home
  • How Robert handles clients that don’t want to be in the same room or are living apart
  • Most common questions Robert gets from clients going through divorce
  • Why transparency is important when selling your home during the divorce process

The thing that I see frequently is that one of the parties usually wants to stay in the family home.  The problem becomes that usually they cannot afford to refinance the home in their name alone.

While some people just decide to keep their name on title and on the loan, the problem that exists there is that if the other party defaults on the loan, your credit will be impacted as well.

It is a cleaner transaction to refinance the property, removing the other spouse off the title and loan, where possible.  Where not possible, you have to decide if you want to take the risk or sell the property.

by Tim Blankenship

Home Appraisals & Divorce, Pricing for Success In Santa Clarita

Posted by Tim Blankenship on

If you are going through a divorce in Santa Clarita and you own a home you will have to make a decision on whether one of you are keeping it and buying the other out, or if your need to sell.  To do that you need to determine the fair market value of your home.

The best way to do this is through hiring a Santa Clarita Certified Real Estate Appraiser and not rely on Realtor’s or neighbors.  I asked Anthony Barrett with SCV Appraisal Service to explain the best way to appraise your home during divorce.  Enjoy!

Home Appraisals & Divorce, Pricing for Success

By: Anthony Barrett, Certified Real Estate Appraiser

The housing market rarely stands still and understanding your home’s value need not be as complicated as it may appear. Depending on who you talk to, the spread of suggested values for your home can be quite large resulting in frustration and confusion for everyone involved.

Determining value can be daunting task that is often clouded by personal agendas and incorrect information when approaching it from outside sound appraisal principles and methodologies. We’ve all experienced that neighbor that seems to know everything but never has the time to double check the facts or the Realtor that looks for the highest sale in the area and assumes you must be 5% above that.
Bringing in a professional unbiased third party to help establish price when the decision is made to liquidate the property is a smart decision that will add checks and balances that everyone can agree on.how_to_appraise_your_home_during_divorce_in_santa_clarita

Selling your house for the highest possible price during a divorce in an effort to maximize equity is the goal. However, pricing your home properly and at the same time understanding how that price relates to current market conditions, exposure periods and competing inventory will speed the process and create less stress. An appraisal developed for the purpose of establishing a current market value will not only provide you with a well supported value based on facts, but will also give you the information needed to make informed negotiation decisions.

The appraisal will be developed based on comparable sales and how those compare to your home within the context of the current market. The appraiser will also look at those sales currently on the market and how fast those homes are being absorbed into the market. The unique features of your property will be considered based on how they relate to those of comparable homes as well as the actions of buyers and sellers of those homes.

It’s important to note that cost does not equal value when property features are considered but rather contributory value of those features is determined based on comparable sales.

santa_clarita_real_estate_appraisal

Negotiating a fair divorce property settlement is a difficult process. You want your settlement to be determined based on true, unbiased, accurate and complete information. Whether you and your spouse own one primary residence or many properties, a qualified real estate appraiser will play a crucial role in the process.

About the Author

Anthony Barrett is the Owner/Appraiser of SCV Appraisal Service a full service Real Estate Appraisal firm located in Santa Clarita. Anthony has over a decade of appraisal experience appraising homes for a variety of clients in and around the Santa Clarita valley. He can be reached at 661-977-7501, tony@scvappraisal.com, www.scvappraisal.com & www.scvappraisalblog.com

Get in touch with Tim Blankenship on Google+

In The Business Of Divorce In Santa Clarita

Posted by Tim Blankenship on

Yes, we are in the business of divorce in Santa Clarita, but more importantly we are in the business of helping people.

We have been doing this business for a while now and word is getting out that there are better options to getting a divorce in Santa Clarita other than hiring a divorce attorney or trying to do your divorce on your own.

As 2013 winds down and we have a chance to catch our breath, I took a count of how many divorce cases we handled this year so far.  The count right now is 212 cases. That is 212 divorce cases we have handled this year so far.

We expect next year to be much more than this year and what is interesting about this number is how much in attorney fees we have saved people this year.

With the average cost of a a divorce attorney here in Santa Clarita wanting $5,000 to walk in the door, even for an uncontested divorce case, we have saved people a lot of money.

This year, we kept our pricing very competitive, with the average cost of using our Santa Clarita divorce service at $699.  We hope to keep our pricing strategy the same next year as well.  But you can see if our services did not exist, it would cost the average person an additional $4,301 to complete their uncontested divorce or have to complete their own divorce paperwork.

Now I know that not everyone would have used an attorney, but if they had those 212 cases we handled so far this year would have totaled a staggering $1,060,000 dollars.  Yes, that was millions and we were using a very low figure of $5,000 per case which is low.

This means we saved our clients more than $900,000.

Wait, maybe I should be a lawyer.  Those guys are making a killing!

So we are in the business of divorce in Santa Clarita, but we are also in the business of saving you money and providing an excellent service.

When you are ready to get started with your divorce or for more information, please feel free to give us a call at 661-281-0266.

 

4 Things Self Represented Santa Clarita Divorce Clients Need To Know

Posted by Tim Blankenship on

Today I was reading a great article that came up while I was on my Santa Clarita Divorce Google Plus page that was called, “Top 4 Things People Representing Themselves Need To Know”, that I wanted to share and was relevant to my clients in Santa Clarita.

The article was written by a Family Law Attorney in Phoenix and gives some great information that applies to anyone representing themselves in Court, be it in Arizona or California.

You can click on the link now for the full article, “Top 4 Things People Representing Themselves Need To Know” and I will summarize below.

In the article they mentioned that you need to be aware of the fact that you are emotionally tied to your own case and this may make it difficult to effectively present your case.  I know that the clients we help prepare for court are also a little bit nervous about what will happen at the hearing and what they should say.

We have worked for the courts and sat in the Court rooms so we are able to  give you a good idea on how the proceeding are held.

Here are the 4 Things Self Represented Clients Need To Know, per the Hernandez Family Law Firm in Phoenix, Arizona.

First, you will be held to the same standards as an attorney.  You can simply not use the excuse that you did not know.  While this is true, I know of a lot of cases where this really depends on the judge and and some of our clients have gotten away with quite a bit that attorneys would never get away with.

Second, they say you should not file a ton of motions in your case.  I agree with this.  They provided some great reasons on why, but I would also add that you have to realize that the Judges are reading hundreds of declarations a day and the more clear and precise your motions are, the better chance the Judge will understand your point.

The third reason they mentioned, we briefly covered which was to keep your emotions in check.  This can prove difficult.  There is often a lot at stake.  That is why having an attorney is often more effective, because they are not personally affected by the results.

And finally, they say not to argue with the Judge.  Aside from it being unprofessional, as indicated in their article, I would add that you are taking a risk that the Judge holds it against you.  After all, they are human beings.

Thanks to Wendy Hernandez for providing this valuable information.

We specialize in California divorce and are headquartered in Santa Clarita, CA.